Posts Tagged ‘potato blight’

Potato Growing Success Story in the UK

by Annette Welsford No Comments
growing potatoes

We were delighted to receive a wonderful email from one of our valued customers who purchased our book How to Grow Great Potatoes, an avid potato grower who lives in the UK. He has had great success this growing season and kindly shared his experiences with us. Potato Growing with Rhys Jaggar Rhys Jaggar lives in London, ...

Controversial Quest to Protect Potatoes in Ireland from Blight

by Annette Welsford No Comments
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Once the basic diet of the Irish, potatoes are once again the centre of attention in Ireland, with a decision by the country’s environmental protection agency to approve a trial of genetically modified potato crops. According to scientists, the motivation is to improve resistance of potatoes to blight. Various strains of this fungal disease have continued ...

The Real Cause of the Great Irish Famine

by Annette Welsford No Comments
07 12Famine memorial Dublin

Commonly referred to as The Great Hunger, Ireland’s horrific famine of the 1840s ranks as one of the very worst tragedies in the history of mankind. It is a well-known fact that the massive failure of Ireland’s potato crops from 1845 to 1849 was caused by a fungus (Phytophthora infestans) that generated blight. At the time, ...

Why You Should Grow Disease Resistant Potatoes

by Annette Welsford 2 Comments
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The great Irish famine of the mid-19th century shows us how vulnerable potatoes can be when it comes to disease. Potato blight, caused by a rampant fungus caused a massive crop failure throughout Ireland, leading to famine and starvation. Many of those who survived the famine decided to emigrate to far-off lands like North America and ...